Community members talk about plants at the Lakeshore Neighborhood Plant Exchang — Photo courtesy of Odette Pollar

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The biannual Lakeshore Neighborhood Plant plant exchange is back again, this Saturday, March 30.

The exchange has grown exponentially since its beginning in fall 2008, when about 75 people attended a small neighborhood gathering put on by Odette Pollar. The next event brought 150 people, and it grew from there. Pollar founded the event when she was redoing her backyard and decided she wanted to share plants with her neighbors.

In the nearly five years that have passed, the event has grown to include more than 2,500 plants, exchanged between about 500 attendees who come from all over the Bay Area. All of this happens in the span of just four hours, between noon and 4pm.

If you’re wondering how thousand of plants are exchanged between hundreds of people in such a short time, you’re not alone. It’s quite the feat, and is made possible by the hard work of Pollar and many volunteers.

To drop off plants, you can pull up your car to a drop off area, where volunteers are on hand to help you unload. Then there’s time to park while volunteer garden experts will label your plants with their name and any other necessary details. They will then be put on the tables for anyone to take.